In the Meantime
by Hush Sound
Summary: Where did Quinn go? Sam doesn't know. But Puck does. He always does. It's been six months since they last genuinely spoke. They are both broken in their own ways, but they'll mend in the meantime. Quinn/Puck. Quick.  Chapter 2 Update!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This is my first story, uh, in a really long time. Specifically, this is my first Glee fic. Don't mind me!**

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"Where did Quinn go?" wondered Mercedes, suddenly looking up from the sheet music in her lap. They had tentatively decided to have a girl's movie night the week before – although they weren't as close as they once were, their bond wasn't going to be broken by a few busy months. It was just… on hold. It was sometimes difficult for Mercedes not to smack the sense back into Quinn, but she know the blonde needed time to heal. The way in which she was going about it just couldn't be more _wrong. _The hope was that a rom-com movie session would be enough to get back into the groove and provide an opportunity for Mercedes to inquire (as politely as possible) why Quinn thought dating a Bleach Blonde Finn 2.0 was going to help her any. Sure, on the surface Quinn was literally and figuratively back at the top of the school pyramid, but something just wasn't _right._

Glee practice had been over for ten minutes, and everyone had split off into little groups discussing their weekend plans. Sam, a few chairs down, looked up with wide eyes and a confused expression on his face. He didn't know.

But Puck did.

While the blondest couple to ever exist was on their way to being the power couple of the school, Rachel and Finn were still the favored Glee club pairing. Rachel was angry at Finn for one thing, he was annoyed with her for something else, so the two were having it out via angsty ballads the whole hour.

Quinn couldn't _take _it anymore.

Lima, Ohio is ghastly cold place in the winter. But Quinn didn't care. As cruel as Sue Sylvester could be sometimes, even she gave in and had been holding Cheerio practice in the gym. Football practice was over for the day, and no one else was using the field – or so she thought. Clutching a crumpled photo to her chest, Quinn curled up underneath the bleachers and began to sob quietly with her forehead pressed to her knees.

"It's been six months," acknowledged a solid, masculine, and oh-so familiar voice a short distance away. As hesitant as Puck sounded, his tone couldn't help but be filled with warmth when he spoke to her. Even his eyes would light up at the mere sight of her in the hallway. But they hadn't really talked since they signed the adoption papers. Couldn't talk. Wouldn't talk.

They _needed_ to talk.

"You're going to freeze out here, Q." Deftly unzipping his sweatshirt, Puck began inching closer to the blonde seated on the ground. He felt rather like an enormous elephant near a tiny mouse, afraid to crush her or hurt her in any way. Crouching down beside her, he paused, waiting for Quinn to flinch or yell or scream or punch or something to indicate she didn't want him around. But she didn't. Taking the silence amidst the noiseless sobs as compliance, he leaned in to drape the heavy fabric around her shoulders.

It smelled like him. Husky, warm, masculine – him. Slowly, the tears began to calm, and Quinn dragged the back of her hand against her cheeks to wipe them away. "I'm sorry," she murmured quietly once she found the air in her lungs to do so, averting her eyes to the toes of her crisp white sneakers. "Me too," Puck mumbled sadly, pulling his arms back yet remaining hovered close to her. He wanted to wrap her up in an enormous hug. He wanted to hold her close, rock her back and forth, run his fingers through her hair and tell her everything was going to be okay. No one else did, could, or would ever be able to bring out this softer, protective side of him.

"She looks like you," Quinn noted softly and hesitantly, unclenching her palm to reveal the small picture that had been snapped of baby Beth in the hospital. She looked so calm, so peaceful, and _just like both of them._ "She has my smile," he admitted, looking a tiny bit smug and proud all at once. "But she has your eyes," he added sincerely, and at that moment he lightly settled a hand upon her shoulder. It is a hesitant gesture, because he's genuinely afraid that he is going to break her all over again.

"That's why I haven't been able to bear looking at you." Quinn blurted with her palms pressed to both eyes, because her head is throbbing just as painfully as her heart is. For a long moment, Puck is silent, unable to coherently formulate words in his head. He's been having the same issue. Putting the cheesiness of her pairing with Sam aside, he couldn't look at her for very long without feeling the urge to grab her by the hand and steal her away somewhere they could start anew. But he had ruined her life once. He couldn't do it again.

"I know," he said finally, opening up his arms and urging her to bury her freshly renewed tears against his broad chest. His embrace was a familiar one, strong, comforting, and soothing all at the same time. "I've missed you," he confided, softly, gently stroking the back of her neck with his fingertips. Quinn nodded against him, hesitating only a moment before lacing her arms around his waist. "I've missed you too."

In the meantime, they would remain broken and huddled underneath the creaky bleachers, taking the first step in reassembling the puzzle of their lives and hearts.


	2. Break Even

**Author's Note: Instead of, you know, **_**studying **_**for finals this came out instead. Oops? Thank you all for your such kind words! :)**

**PS: The song lyrics from below belong to none other than _Break Even _by The Script. I don't own them! Though I wish I did. Sigh.  
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"Not today, Santana," Puck practically growled as he forcefully slammed his locker door shut. The beautiful brunette stood at his side, casually filing her nails while leaning against the cold hard metal of the neighboring locker. The sudden noise was enough to startle her, though, and she straightened up with a jolt. "_Fine. _I'll go find Brit instead. Don't be so damn touchy." With a roll of her eyes, the Cheerio tugged at the hem of her uniform top and pointedly wiggled her hips as she strutted away. A year ago, this seductive movement would have distracted Puck's gaze 'til her ass disappeared out of sight. Things had changed.

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It was all he could do not to punch the smirk off of Sam's face in Glee rehearsal earlier that day. Mr. Schuester had paired everyone off for some ever so _rousing_ background swaying and romantic poses while Tina and Mike sang lead on the classic _Nothing Compares 2 U _by Sinead O'Connor. Most of the pairings weren't surprising: Finn and Rachel. Mercedes and Kurt. Brittany and Artie.

Last year it would've been Puck and Quinn. But this wasn't last year.

He tried not to sigh when Will pointed for Santana to move to his side, obviously leaving Sam and Quinn to their lovey-dovey spiel all over again. Just as he was about to roll his eyes and look away, Quinn's eyes caught his. They looked fragile, full of apologies and heartbreak. When Sam wrapped his arm around her waist, it was all she could do to tear her gaze away from the man who still held her heart. With a weak smile, she forced herself to avert her eyes toward the one guy who cared about his hair almost as much as Mr. Schu and Kurt combined. Oblivious, Sam grabbed both of Quinn's hands and linked his fingers in hers so he could pull her in for a chaste, but proud kiss.

Puck wanted to simultaneously throw up on Santana's shoes and break Sam's nose for holding one of the two people in the world he cared about most – the other, of course, being Beth who was heavens knows where with Shelby Corcoran. He couldn't have both of them, and now he couldn't have _either _of them and it absolutely killed him on the inside. Some would claim he never had a soul in the first place, but he did – and it was being crushed into little pieces day after day.

Those were supposed to be _his _hands on her hips. _He _was supposed to be the one to lean in close, kiss her on the brow, and wiggle his eyebrows mischievously. Only _Puck _was allowed to tangle his fingers into the blonde curls of Quinn's ponytail and ruffle her hair playfully, just to make her smile. But there that lemon-juice bastard was, doing all the little things that Puck missed doing so very, very dearly.

"What's your deal, Puckerman?" Santana inquired, quirking a mildly concerned brow. "I don't like this romantic shit either, but—" Puck lifted a hand, waving it dismissively to cut her off. "It's nothing, I just hate this song." But really? Honestly? He didn't.

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Although technically Puck was supposed to be at football practice, he called in sick. His _heart _was sick, if nothing else. With his hands shoved into his pockets, he found himself wandering through an almost eerily abandoned McKinley hallway, just past the choir room. Finding the lights off and the door conveniently unlocked, he took one glance over his shoulder before slipping inside. While he had a reputation to maintain in the other rooms at school, this was the one room he could let his guard down a little. Finding his guitar and an empty stool, he began lightly strumming and singing in the dimly lit room.

_'Cause when a heart breaks, no it don't break even  
Her best days will be some of my worst  
She finally met a man that's gonna' put her first  
While I'm wide awake she's no trouble sleeping  
'Cause when a heart breaks, no it don't break even, even, no_

And just like any good romantic cliché, Quinn happened to find herself in front of the doorway, idly searching for the binder she had left in the choir room since practice. The door was cracked open, yet she found herself frozen where she stood, unable move a muscle let alone even attempt to enter the room.

_What am I supposed to do  
When the best part of me was always you and  
__What am I supposed to say  
When I'm all choked up and you're okay  
I'm falling to pieces, yeah, I'm fallin' to pieces_

It's not like it was suddenly colder in the building. The air was quite toasty and warm, in fact. The air conditioning wasn't suddenly being blasted, nor were the doors leading outside at the end of the hall being opened all at once. Those _chills _running up Quinn Fabray's spine were completely unrelated to any temperature issue.

_They say bad things happen for a reason  
But no wise words gonna' stop the bleeding  
'Cause she's moved on while I'm still grieving  
And when a heart breaks, no it don't break even, even, no_

Oh goodness, could Puck _sing. _It melted Quinn's heart every single time he opened his mouth to project those soulful notes. His back was turned to her, which made it easier for her to summon up the courage to step into the choir room without having to look him in the eye.

_You got his heart and my heart and none of the pain  
You took your suitcase, I took the blame  
Now I'm tryin' to make sense of what little remains, oh  
'Cause you left me with no love and no love to my na—_

There were more words to the song, but the sudden, gentle hand on his shoulder cut Puck off completely. While it took a lot to scare the Puckasaurus, this came _way _too damn close for comfort.

Just as soon as her fingertips met the soft fabric of his t-shirt, pangs of guilt stabbed through her slender limbs. "Sorry," she said both quickly and quietly, beginning to pull away 'til his calloused fingers settled atop her tiny hand and kept it pressed to his shoulder. For a moment, their fingers entwined, fitting together just as perfectly as they always had. "Don't be," he muttered in a low tone, sounding almost more sad than angry, even though both feelings were tied head-to-head in his mind.

"I'm not okay either," she murmured in reference to his heartfelt lyrics, after what felt like a century of silence passes by. All he could do was nod.

Like a bolt of lightning, Quinn thrust out an arm to snatch her binder off the nearby chair and ran out the door as if being chased by the demons from her nightmares. Several slips of paper fell out, scattering to the floor. There for her as always, Puck crouched down to gather them just as he tried to put her heart back together.

"What—" slipped past his lips in a hastened mumble, his eyes widening as the words on the page began to process just as the sound of Quinn's footsteps began to fade away further down the hallway…

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**AN: And thiiiiiiis is where I make myself study some more. Cliffhanger, bwaha! I appreciate any thoughts you might have!**


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